Chapter 2: The Sword Not Yet Fastened, I Step Beyond the Door...

The conference room doors swung open, and the officials, their faces grave, filed out in silence. Soon, the room was quiet again, leaving only Li Yulan before the screen and Qin Jiajia standing quietly to the side.

“Xiao Qin, you've heard everything you needed to. Tell me your thoughts…” Li Yulan paused, her gaze sweeping over her subordinate, who offered no reaction. After a moment’s contemplation, she slowly placed her palm on Qin Jiajia’s shoulder, making her flinch.

“Listen, Xiao Qin, I know this might be hard for you to accept.” Li Yulan looked directly into her subordinate’s vacant eyes, enunciating each word clearly. “But you’ve seen it for yourself. What you’ve encountered so far is only the surface of the Sanitation Bureau. What you witnessed just now is our department’s true mission—to eliminate all hidden threats for the public, whether they come from natural disasters… or from human actions.”

Though her gaze was not meant to be intimidating, Qin Jiajia couldn’t help but feel oppressed, as if her superior could see right through her.

“This work is crucial and easily draws attention, so we’re very careful when selecting new recruits.”

“According to your file, you’ve previously interacted with Cultivator No. 25892. If our goal is to approach and negotiate with him, you have an unparalleled advantage. That’s why I brought you in to observe the meeting today.”

“From a cultivation perspective, your constitution is outstanding—among the best in recent years. We’ve been watching you since your first day in the bureau. In the three years you’ve worked here, you’ve consistently proven your abilities, which is why I promoted you ahead of schedule.”

“The cultivator incident is escalating, and everyone in Liangzhou is taking action. As new blood, you must grow quickly. Now that you’ve joined, there can be no mistakes.”

Qin Jiajia’s lips trembled as she nodded. “Yes… I understand, Director Li.”

Li Yulan saw her subordinate’s demeanor and felt a subtle disappointment. She had intended the meeting as a special test of Qin Jiajia’s resilience, but the results were less than satisfactory.

She hadn’t even seen the scene of the incident—just heard the stories about cultivators—and was already so frightened? It was understandable to be shocked by the supernatural at first, but this performance was far from impressive.

“Don’t be too nervous. The department won’t force employees into confidential positions. Whether you take this job is still your choice.”

Li Yulan sighed softly, withdrew her hand from Qin Jiajia’s shoulder, and drew a paper contract from a file envelope, placing it on the table.

“This is an information confidentiality agreement. If you sign here, you’ll officially become a confidential employee and will be involved in more work related to the supernatural.”

“If you choose to withdraw, we’ll assign someone to erase this memory from you, and you’ll be placed in a public-facing role in the Sanitation Bureau, working in social management, just as you’ve known.”

“Do you have any questions?”

After a long silence, Qin Jiajia looked down at the floor, her shoulders rising and falling before she spoke quietly.

“Director Li, the ‘Zhou Qing’ mentioned in the meeting… I mean, that cultivator…” She tried to steady her trembling voice. “What… will the department do with him?”

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“He’ll be handled according to the latest amendments to the Cultivator Management Law. That’s the guideline for most of our actions and the fundamental policy towards this group in China.”

Li Yulan said, “Unless something unexpected happens, the state will respect cultivators’ wishes and use peaceful negotiation. But since No. 25892 recently committed killings, if he threatens societal safety, we won’t rule out using armed force to suppress him.”

Armed force… suppression?

A chill shot up Qin Jiajia’s spine, freezing her in place. Her legs weakened, nearly causing her to collapse.

“That’s not something you need to worry about right now.” Li Yulan seemed to notice her distress and softened her tone. “If it really comes to that, the department would never send a newcomer like you to handle him. We’d assign senior specialists to minimize the impact.”

Qin Jiajia responded dully, watching as her director disappeared through the door. Only then did she rub her cold fingers together, trembling as she took out her phone and opened WeChat. Immediately, she saw the name that made her heart race.

That man called Zhou Qing—the old classmate she’d shared a meal with just hours ago—was a supernatural cultivator? And not just any cultivator, but one who could overturn clouds and rain with a wave of his hand, killing as easily as eating or drinking?

No, this was too absurd. Compared to this, even those online who claimed to be Qin Shihuang seemed more believable.

Maybe it was just someone with the same name? Maybe there really were two people in the world with the same name and face, both in Liangzhou, both working at the local office, both playing Spirit Alliance and Divine Fate…

A notification chimed, WeChat popped up with a message. Reflexively, she opened it. The sender’s avatar was a red plum blossom, labeled “Second Aunt.”

“Jiajia, did you finish your meal with Xiao Zhou? How did it go? If you liked him, should I have him ask you out again?”

Boom! It was like a firebomb exploding, setting off an air raid siren in her mind.

“No, no need.” Qin Jiajia typed and sent her reply faster than ever. “Dinner was good, but there’s no need for another one.”

The other side was quiet for a while. Maybe a few minutes, maybe more, before another message arrived.

“Oh, Jiajia, Aunt knows you have high standards and aren’t interested in that young man. But when it comes to daily life, you have to be practical, right?”

“You’re nearly twenty-five now. Back home, people your age already have kids. As a girl, you have to settle down eventually. What’s the point of working so hard outside?”

“Listen to Aunt: don’t be so picky. Before, you said those with degrees and money had bad personalities. Xiao Zhou may not have much, but he’s honest and reliable. The old saying goes, ‘marry a man, wear clothes and eat food’—what matters is living steadily…”

This time, the chat window was packed with words. Through the screen, she could almost imagine the earnest expression on the other side.

She slowly typed a few words, then deleted them. The cursor blinked in the empty input bar, like the flicker of a heart monitor.

The introduction of that man during the meeting still echoed in her ears. Just thinking about it sent chills down her spine.

She was just a rookie, yet faced with someone who even her superiors approached with caution.

Sword not yet at her side, she stepped out to find the boss of the starter level was Ashina Isshin.

---

Now, she no longer had the energy to unravel the twists and turns of these events. Every bit of rationality screamed at her to run, to stay far away. Someone as insignificant as her would be crushed to dust before such a presence.

Yes, if she did nothing, Zhou Qing might face the “armed suppression” her director spoke of… but what did that have to do with her?

She and Zhou Qing were just old classmates. Sure, she’d once had a slight crush on him, but that was nothing more than idle chewing gum to add some flavor to a dull life—not sustenance, and certainly not something to risk her life for, especially when her feelings might have been for a fabricated identity.

Since that’s the case, why risk everything for his troubles? Whether he keeps playing the lazy fish or goes head-to-head with the authorities, it doesn’t affect her life at all.

After all, she’d taken this job for the stability of a city post, for a steady life with an iron rice bowl. Supernatural? Cultivators? Armed force? Those things belonged in third-rate web novels!

Having understood all this, what to do next was obvious. Naturally…

Gulp. Qin Jiajia swallowed, as if she’d choked on a piece of old chewing gum.

Her whole body trembled as if electrified. Her fingers hovered above the screen, lifted and dropped, up and down, five times before she finally managed to type out a sentence.

“Aunt, I understand. I’ll keep meeting him in the future.”

“Oh! That’s our Jiajia, so obedient!” The tone on the other side was instantly cheerful. “I’ll tell Xiao Zhou you’re very satisfied, so he can ask you out again?”

“No, there’s no need.” Her fingers flew over the keys. “Just pass the message, tell him I’ll come find him in a couple of days.”

“You’ll go to him? Isn’t that a bit much?” The other side clearly hadn’t expected her sudden change. “It’s fine to see each other, but a girl should be reserved. Too forward and it looks like you’re desperate…”

“It’s fine. Just tell him. I’ll handle the rest myself.”

Setting down her phone, Qin Jiajia took a deep breath, clearing her mind of all distractions. She grabbed a pen and swiftly signed her name on the paper.

She pushed open the conference room door, clutching the contract as she jogged down the corridor, finally finding the middle-aged woman in formal attire at the end of the hall.

“Director Li, here’s my signed agreement. Also, regarding No. 25892’s case…”

She bit her lip, as if this sentence required all the courage she possessed.

“Please… let me handle the negotiations with him.”